Smiling a little
by devonis123
Summary: Jackal X Angry Princess, the two unfortunate ghosts find solace in each other. Set during the movie. The song she sings is Burn by Alkaline Trio.


Ryan glared at them all, his eyes full of hatred, he didn't deserve this, he wasn't this bad. They'd snuck over while he was sleeping and tied his cage to the tree, wrapping his arms backwards around the trunk, tying them as well.

He yanked his neck forward trying to escape, this only succeeded in the cage cutting into his shoulder.

"I hope you all fucking rot in hell you bastards"

He screeched at the top of his non-existent lungs. This was horrible and terrified him to the very core.

He hated this so much because it reminded him of the asylum when he was still alive, the inability to move, touch or affect anything, it terrified him then and still did, even now it haunted his worst nightmares, though he would never admit it, except to Dana, sweet understanding naked Dana, only she knew because his yells of terror woke her one night.

He never stopped screaming until it was he could hear, until he even forgot he was making the noise himself. After some had finished laughing themselves to hysteric they began to regret their decision, sure he psychotic and pathetic but this was pretty sad.

Of course, only Dana knew how exactly he'd died, she'd had more sympathy for the man after that night those screams awoke her, after he told his story through sobs and whimpers of pure fear. So she took no part in this escapade, instead watched silently from the sidelines, until she could stand it no longer and stormed over to the tree. Untying him was difficult as he struggled so hard but she did it eventually but upon seeing the red welts across his neck and wrists, she felt her eyes fill with pitiful tears and she ran.

Ryan stared at the silent faces, his eyes cold and hard as starlight. Some flinched but most just looked on and kept laughing.

He ran from the laughter and mocking, following Dana through the forest, he could hear her crying and that filled him with a pathetic need to comfort her. He tracked to her to the banks of a river; she sat on a rock that jutted out towards the sluggish water. He made his way through the bushes, she heard and turned, she smiled her sad little smile which made his stomach hurt.

After standing staring at his feet he walked over and sat beside her, a repressed sob escaping him.

He hated them, he despised them and wanted to run away, but Dana was here, sweet understanding naked Dana who was so beautiful and nice. He hated himself for the sick and twisted thoughts his black little mind had about what he could do to her. She was what he never knew, never deserved to know. She was a kind soul.

So he ran from her as well, even as she called his name, he ran down the bank running from her hoping never to taint her perfectness with his dirty disgusting soul.

He tripped over and went sprawling through the mud, but he couldn't bring himself to get up again so he stayed, lying in the cold clinging mud, shivering and crying a little for the world he was denied and indeed, the one he denied himself.

Dana saw him falling and after thinking she ran over, helped him up and held his thin, freezing, muddy body. She was wary of him, at first, knowing what she knew but it was obvious he wasn't in the mood, so she held him and rocked, whispering parts of a song she'd heard one day when she was wandering through the world…

"There's a lightning storm each and every night  
Crashing inside you like motorbikes  
we toss and turn, sleep so loud  
Grind the teeth in our empty mouths

There's a forest fire burning bright  
Spreading quickly towards our last rights  
Nowhere to run, pointless to hide  
Just lay there and scream, pretending to try

This impending doom is left deep inside  
And it's haunting you each and every night  
Light starving wolves, drowning sheep  
We close our eyes, pretending to sleep

Like hell, we are anxiously waiting  
Like hell burning silently strong  
Somehow we fell down by the wayside  
And somehow this hell is home You live and you burn  
Like hell, we are anxiously waiting  
Like hell burning silently strong  
Somehow we fell down by the wayside  
And somehow this hell is home"

…He rocked in her arms and felt safe and sleepy, and as she whispered the song and he fell into a deep sleep.

Dana watched as his eyes closed beyond the bars, she continued rocking him until she was sure he was sleeping. She kissed his hand and laid him down carefully. He smiled a little in his sleep and she sat beside him, quietly smiling her little smile too.


End file.
